


Doomed

by VVio



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Connor is Death, Depression, Gen, Guardian Angels, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, RK900 is Fear, or demons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-15
Updated: 2019-03-21
Packaged: 2019-10-10 21:42:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17434022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VVio/pseuds/VVio
Summary: Because of his arrogance and underestimation of the balance he serves, Amanda sent Nines down on earth with a mission to guard an unborn human.





	1. Chapter 1

Something dark, something broken. A sacrifice and a pact, drawn by blood. He was not born, thus was never alive. For eons he rode far and through. His journey as old as the Earth itself, recorded in the screams of those who had witnessed him, retold by the braves who were able to withstand his wrath, and written in crude words upon the long pillars of history that have been set by the tyranny of their time.

He is not the first of his name. Before him there were others who failed their tasks, crumbled in shanks under the burden of the power in their hands. But not he. He is stronger than those prior and he refuses to prove it in words, letting his actions in the past millennium speak instead.

He is  _ Fear _ . His shadow reaches those who are weak of heart. His power is necessary. Only brave mortals deserves the light out of his shadows, or so he had thought.

Fear stands in the hall of fortune surrounded by the red strings of Fate as she herself stood before him, tall and proud. Her wings of shimmering light that no doubt are as wide as the hall itself if it wasn’t folded behind her back and tied together by her red strings as if to show the weight of responsibility that ties her freedom down.

Among all beings, Fate is the most powerful. Wiser than the ancient ones and older than the first pillar of the universe. She is strong enough to end all things in a blink of her lashes. Her word is law: if she summons Fear, then he must answer and answer the call he did.

Icy grey eyes staring back into Fate's glimmering ones, his hands folded politely behind his back, and dark brown hair brushed neatly to the side. His signature long black coat and his shiny black shoes that never catch dirt under any circumstances stand motionless as Fear awaits Fate's greetings.

"Welcome, Fear," Fate says with a smile that doesn't reach her eyes, while Fear merely nods in reply.

"Have you any idea why I summoned you here?" she asks.

"No," Fear replies curtly.

Fate flashes another smile, this time she seems proud as though his short, gruff reply was expected. She made a gesture for him to follow her and he did so silently.

"Do you wonder where are we going, Fear?" she asks as she strides ahead dragging her wings behind her.

"No," comes the dry reply.

Fate hums in thought, "Every hour many mortals pass through the realm of the dead, not by the hand of your brother but by taking their own life willingly, influenced by... You." 

Normally Fear would consider this an affront. His elder brother, Death; is the one who reaps souls, not him. In Fear's eyes this is yet another victory but Fate's tone didn't sound grateful for his efforts, she instead seems... disappointed.

"Only the weak ones succumb to me. Unlike my brother I have no power over mortals. This is their choice." Fear, rarely to experience any sort of emotion, his older brother always being the sentimental one, found this rebuke irritating. He doesn't like to talk much, let alone be in a position where he has to justify his rightful duties.

"You consider them weaker than the rest?" Fate's face remained neutral but her tone reveals a little bit of amusement.

"It’s not my place to form any judgement, but giving up their right to live is an act of weakness."

"It seems to me that you are taking pleasure in watching them lose to you."

"I carry no such emotions however, I find them as a burden to the universe."

"You think the world is better off without them?"

"I think that those who give up without a fight are... Useless."

"No-one is useless. Each one of us have a purpose in life - including mortals. Look up." As Fate gestured, Fear was quick to oblige, staring up. The view was nothing he had ever seen before in all his eons. A shimmering silver tree as huge as Jupiter with billions small sand hourglasses hanging by red threads from its branches like fruits.

"The tree of time..." Fear stated softly, his eyes trying to roam all over the tree to take every detail in. This is a sacred place only few are allowed to see.

"Here is where all my strings begin their knot. Each one of these hourglasses is a mortal's lifespan. The strings of fate tangle and link them together. Each choice they make, each piece of knowledge they gain, and each path they choose ripple across all strings not randomly. Altogether, they serve the greater plan. Until you..."

Fate gazes up the tree with a hint of sadness in her eyes, she stretches her hand to catch a slowly falling hourglass. A mortal has just ended their life. A young one by the amount of silver sand that was still left in the glass. Fate's long ebony fingers brush the welting red strings away from the glass as it slowly turns to dust.

"Many things awaited this one... now all the tangled strings between him and others will disappear causing a gap in their lives that threaten to end them in just the same way." Fate paused watching the hour glass disappear before she restores her focus on Fear who, wisely, remains quiet. "This sad cycle is disturbing the balance of all things, Fear" 

"Balance is not my concern. This  _ sad _ cycle is why  _ I _ was created." Fear, losing his patience, makes no effort to mask it. Fate's face remains stoic as her shiny eyes study Fear.

"Balance should be everyone's concern, but I see now what you lack," Fate finally speaks and her words seems to hit a nerve judging by Fear's subtle clamp of his jaw.

"Tell me, Fear, why do you think the Creator created you?" 

"To discipline mortals. My creation was the result of my older brother's existence. As long as there is Death mortals will be afraid."

"Ah, so you think if Death disappear you will be no more?"

"Yes."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't your existence make mortals rush their own end to Death... not fear him?" 

Fate smiles a little bit smugly when that seemed to shut Fear up. "You are right about your existence being to discipline mortals. To teach them their limits. But not away from Death..." Fate gestures with her hand opening up a small portal, a small window to other dimension, "this is why the creator created you."

Fear looks into the portal to see colourful sky, hobbit-looking houses, dragons and unicorns, rainbows everywhere, and the sound of laughter that echoes through the sacred hall. "The land of wishes?" Fear frowned. This must be a joke.

"Yes. Every mortal has their own wish. Their wishes are infinite light and happiness. It makes them believe they can conquer their whole world, but too much of everything disturbs the balance and so... You were created. To serve balance." 

This is definitely a joke. Fear's face kept on its cold, lazy look. He nods but he doesn’t seem to believe. Fate saw right through him. She closes the portal before she speaks,

"If I end your existence now, what would you feel, Fear?" 

Fear understands that his ending means nothing, literally. Another Fear will replace him and the universe will continue.

"Nothing." 

"Fear, I don’t believe you understand the depth of how important you actually are to a mortal's existence"

"Do elaborate," Fear requested amused but questioning.

"That is something experienced not explained, Fear. To understand what it is to be afraid, is not a thing of mere words." Fate gave him a side look before creating a new hourglass in a rapid motion. Satisfied, she drops it gently over his palm.

Fear stared at it blankly not sure what to make of it.

"This is your second chance. A human yet to be born, your task is to watch over them. Should their life end before it runs its natural course out of fear, you will be deemed obsolete, stripped out of your powers and replaced." She pauses as she watches Fear gazing upon the hourglass before she resumes.

"It should be an easy task for you. This human will be born in a peaceful country and to financially stable parents. Do you understand what is at risk, Fear?"

"Yes."

He understands, but he doesn't feel it.

As the hourglass levitates over Fear's palm, a red string appeared connecting them together. Fate smiles at Fear's lack of surprise, "A little surprise awaits you. It would be regrettable to end you, before letting you taste your own medicine, Fear. Your brother has tasted his own many times till he now understands balance. Now it’s your turn."

Fear frowned slightly at the mention of his brother but Fate didn't leave him any room to ask as she says "The next time we meet, I hope it won't be the last." 


	2. Chapter 2

On Earth, Fear stood in front of the house where his mission will soon be born. Eyeing the neighborhood, he concluded that it’d be an easy task, to guard a human in such a quiet and hospitable environment, perfect for a mortal's childhood stability; a good school close to the house, a local store at close range and a not so bad park nearby, what more could a mortal ask for in their short life?

_"A hospital.."_

A foreigner voice spoke and he heard it as though it was in his mind, subtle but sure. It sounded excited. Definitely not scared or cautious of him. Most unnerving of all it can penetrate his thoughts?

Fear was passive towards his unclear discovery,. Whatever it was, it was unfamiliar and rather intrusive. He needed it to speak again so he kept his thoughts in motion as though nothing had happened for whatever that voice belonged to, his thoughts are no longer his own.

There is a charitable clinic in the town not far for a human's vehicle which Fear knows the parents own, he just saw the father drive away in one.

_"Ooh, you mean the cars? These are handy indeed."_

The voice intruded on his train of thought again and he frowned at its implication, not because it was undesired, but more because intrusion was not a thing he ever fancied.

 _"Don't be so displeased with me,"_ it asked dejectedly, but the amusement in its voice was far from subtle. _"I'm trying to help you."_

Enough games.

"Show yourself" Fear ordered, his grey eyes flashed in warning.

 _"What if I don't want to?"_ Not afraid and still amused, it giggled.

"Then I shall make you." He said nonchalantly while commanding his shadows to seek the intruder, yet whatever that creature is, it still wasn't afraid of him.

Fear's shadows are not beings, they are reflections of himself that take no form. They are able to smell fear in mortals. They seek it, feed it, and let it consume the poor mortal whole, if the mortal lets them. But if these shadows are not able to smell the fear, then their task will be harder but never impossible. For fear is as constant in every being as death is inevitable.

The intruder kept quiet, hiding. Does it think this is a game?

_"Not at all, I have never seen your shadows in action, I'm quite flattered."_

Flattered?

_"Ooh yes, for I have never been seen as a threat, let alone by the O'mighty Fear himself."_

"Then don't flatter yourself."

 _"Oh, am I not to enjoy being a fearsome creature of the dark?"_ It mocks.

"I hardly believe you are of the dark, let alone fearsome"

It gasped dramatically, before it giggled again _"Well, you are not wrong..."_  The creature paused as the shadows pointed behind Fear, his eyes followed meeting a pair of feline eyes.

Fear's eyebrows arched a bit, questioning, as his shadows disappeared literally into thin air.

A cat?

 _"It was worth a shot,"_ it murmured, hurt, as it groomed it's now obvious form: a black cat with eyes matching his own in color, its attitude however so very far.

_"I like your shadows, they act like your personal guard dogs, it’s cute."_

It said in a dreamy tone while it's tail kept swaying back and forth. It sat lazily over the ledge of a first floor window.

_"As a lady though, I am hurt by you referring to me as it, have you no decency?!"_

The feline, -lady- came down from her spot and stretched her body while yawning, _"That's not my real form, since Fate assigned me to your case, I have had this urge to remain a cat. I find myself very comfortable as one, I wonder if it has to do with compatibility, you apparently like cats, so you're fond of me already—"_  she spoke giddily and fast, like a child given a chance and has no one around to stop her.

He tuned her out, his mind making the connections needed to understand the situation fully, he should have expected no less from Fate, especially when she openly told him she had a **little surprise** , he didn't expect it to be an intrusive feline though.

_"Hey, I'm not just an intrusive feline. I'm way more than that."_

"A chatterbox intrusive feline?"

Fear didn't need to read her mind to know his reply pissed her off, it’s clear in the way her tail tapped the ground impatiently, it made him feel ... deeply satisfied.

_"Offended, but I have a big heart, so I will forgive you. It's obvious that I'm the bigger person here—"_

"I see no person here."

_"It was a metaphor, I'm not a person but I'm obviously the bigger one —"_

"What are you?" He spat out impatiently.

 _"I'm a wish,"_ she stated it in a manner that made it look like it's the most obvious fact in the universe.

 _"And not just any wish, I'm your wish. The moment you took the hourglass in your palm, we were bound,"_  she spoke proudly, the last part a bit higher than the rest for the dramatic effect, Fear was buried in deep thought that he knew she has access to.

A dark being such as him should never carry emotions or follow their personal dreams and wishes. He fails to see the wisdom in Fate creating him a wish. Why would she send him such distraction on a very simple mission. If anything, this seems to be a hazard for his task. Perhaps it’s a test of sorts.

With these thoughts in mind, the intrusive feline jumped up onto his shoulder, sitting comfortably with her tail round her legs and head nuzzling his cheekbone _"Till death do us part,"_  she added smugly.

"Then I shall inform my brother immediately."

 _"I feel attacked,"_ She gasped,  _"I thought you are already fond of me. Seems like I have to make more effort, even though I'm so lovable."_

Fear gave her a side nonchalant look, which she returned with a stare of her own before she rested her paw over his cheek,

_"You are quite likable."_

She winked before she jumped down and he could swear he heard a click with her wink that doesn't sound natural for the entire feline species.

" _I believe now is as good time as any for me to introduce myself,"_ she cleared her throat, _"among my kin I'm called Wonder, and I wonder why,"_ she giggled yet again as if it was funny before she composed herself and resumed. _"Don't worry, I know why I'm named Wonder, it's because I wonder a lot which is healthy for my existence as a wish, to wonder always and—"_

As she talked, Fear has made up his mind that he would take the matter of this talkative feline to the higher-ups. Whatever Fate's wisdom is, whatever the bond between them is, this should be broken.

_"It can't be broken, I just entrusted you with my real name, the higher ups won't allow you—"_

"Watch me."

_"Listen, you have to accept it. I'm a part of your mission now, that's all you care for, right? I have seen your memories, your life is boring, I tell you, But not anymore since I shall accompany you always, my humble existence will help you reach for your inner self and seek to let go to your own wish, aka me—"_

Isn't she tired of her own voice?

_"Of my own wisdom?! How can anyone?"_

"Have you lost your ability to be serious? Or is everything a game to you?"

_"I can be serious if you wish me to be, as your wish I'm only compelled to act however you like me to act, and apparently you seem to wish for a **talkative intrusive feline companion**."_

Fear has never heard anything more ridiculous or confusing in his existence. If this thing is actually his wish and she is compelled to be what he wants her to be then he wished for her to disappear.

 _"Do you have a name with which you would have me address you?"_ She asked and Fear wasn't sure if she was mocking his earlier thoughts or sincerely asking. Didn't she know who he is? Wasn't she the one who can access his memories and read his thoughts?

 _"I know you are Fear but this is your title not your name, same as I'm a wish,"_ she waited for his reply but it was quiet and his thoughts were blank so there was nothing for her to read.

"Then I shall call you Nines."

Nines?

_"Yes, you are the ninth of your title, all eight before you have perished. Also I felt attracted to call you that which means you probably wish to be called that and—"_

"It's not even a name."

_"And you call me intrusive, you have been interrupting me for the past ten minutes I can barely speak. And no, Nines is a beautiful name and it fits you, since now we have shared our names, our bond will last to the moon and back, to hell and beyond, to heaven and above—"_

Fear was becoming used to tuning her out by now as if she is some background noise he can't seem to turn off. He really has to take this matter to the higher-ups.

 _"Come on Nines, let's investigate the house where our little baby human is gonna be born. We have to make sure it’s safe for our baby to grow healthy. Your mission is my mission, if you die, I die and I quite like life unlike you—"_ she kept on chattering as she made her way to the house.

Maybe the higher-ups will have to wait a little for the intrusive feline was right for once, he needed to see the house. Silently with a subtle frown, Fear followed his little wish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again,  
> I tried to be funny in this chapter, hope it at least made you smile :)  
> I didn't want to add an OC but I couldn’t find anyone in the dbh fandom who share the same personality as Wonder, I mean I thought about Chloe or Daniel or even Ralph but I couldn't feel it for an unknown reason, either-way I hope you guys like this one. Thanks for reading thus far.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Suicide attempt.

_Everything is meant to be. Nothing is a coincidence. Nothing is random._ Fate's voice echoes in his head as he watches the hourglass he was given loom slowly over his palm, the sand begins to flow, signaling the unborn human's first heartbeat.

A random life has just started and with it, his doom; yet he feels nothing.

"So pretty..." the wish mutters in the silence of the night, interrupting his musing. She follows him around everywhere now, her cat form unchanging. Sometimes he regrets the fact that he'd ordered her to stop reading his thoughts. She is much too loud now.

"I wonder what would it feel like,"her eyes sparkle, in awe of the shape of the shimmering silver sand as it babbles, her paw slowly reaching for it.

In one fluid motion Fear pulls the hourglass out of her reach before he turns and walks away.

Leaving her behind or ignoring her doesn't seem to phase her as she jumps over his shoulder, curling her tail around his neck "Nines, where are we going?"

"I have tasks to see to."

" **Fear** ful tasks, I presume. Well then I have a **Wonder** ful idea I want to share with you."

"Spare me"

 _"_ Aren't you a smooth one... Or shall I say a smooth nines" she giggles, proud of her puns "Anyway, serious business here, since our baby's heart has just started beating and this is my life here on the line, I would like to share with you that I don't trust you."

Now that caught his attention, stopping Fear in his tracks as he waits for her to resume. She jumps down his shoulder and stands in front of him, leaving a fair distance between them.

"This may sound a little bit offensive...or not, but I don't think you are fit enough to save a 2 hours old mortal let alone a human and I think I should be in charge."

Fear keeps his eyes locked on hers.

"I don't understand that look on your face, are you angry? Is this your amused face? Something behind my back? Is this a staring contest?"  She says, impatiently.

"Don't tell me all of this is because I didn't allow you to touch the hourglass." He says flatly.

If a cat could look haughty.

"Yes. This is because I wanted to touch the hourglass, why are you being such a meanie?" She mocked.

He ignores her obnoxiousness.

"Your point, wish?"

"No fun...ok my point is, in order to save a life, you need to care for it, not scare it and you my dear, scary friend are only capable of the horror part, therefore I should be in charge."

A long pause follows as Fear eyes the cat. She however, stands her ground unflinchingly.

"Your doubts are understandable."

"They are?" She asks, blinking.

He tries not to enjoy her shock too much _._

"Yes, to expect you to understand all my abilities would be unfair regarding your limited and poor intelligence."

"Just say stupid, you don't have to wow me with your words, I'm already in too deep," she ends with a sly wink, _"_ so do we have a deal? Can I be in charge?"

"No," he turns back to the road, leaving her to catch up which wasn't for long because she jumps on his shoulder shortly after.

"Fine, you are the boss, but can you share with me how do you plan to protect a human from **fear**?"

"I will."

Silence took over and for the first time since she appeared in his existence, the wish spoke nothing.

                                                          ***

The wish lays comfortably over his shoulder, eyes closed and purring with her tail swaying back and forth gently over his back as they come to a stop, standing in front of their destination.

Wonder opens her eyes to see they are standing in the middle of a forest.

"Ohh, is this where our first date will be?"

"Humans calls this place _, Aokigahara,_ the sea of trees."

The purring stops and so does the gentle tap of her tail. She had looked into his memories before so the name rings a bell.

"People come here from far places to end their lives and Fate wants to convince me that I'm to blame."

Wonder transfixes her gaze on his eyes, searching for something, her ears twitch at the sound of loud crunch of leaves. She turns her head to see a female human walking through the trees, blind to their presence. Nines's shadows loom around the human like dozens of black butterflies, whispering to her in tongues the wish can't understand.

"Her name is Yuki. Today she completes 29 orbits around the sun,"

Yuki walks right through them as she leans her hand over a tree before she traces the rough surface of the wood with her fingers so gently as if comforting a friend. "Yuki is not here to enjoy the scenery. She believes she is unhappy, and decided today she will end it once and for all."

The human turns her back to the tree as she descend to the ground. The wish comes down his shoulder walking towards the girl, "what are they telling her?" She asks as her cat eyes watch the butterflies shadows still whispering.

"Possibilities."

"That's not so scary..."

"Uncertainty scares mortals, the possibilities of what could have been, wasted opportunities, wrong choices, and jealousy."

"You are making her feel regret?"

"No, I'm making her feel afraid, how she will let this fear guide her is up to her."

"So what she is going to do now is not your fault." Wonder murmurs as Yuki starts to shed tears. The sight was unsettling,"ok you have made your point clear to me, whatever it was, can we leave now?" 

"I'm not done, in a few minutes, this human will consume an overdose of painkillers in order to kill herself, the possibilities whispered to her by my shadows are holding her from doing so, as she contemplates further."

He pauses standing right beside the wish now, "you wanted to be in charge, this is your chance."

"This is very unlike you, are you seriously going to let me be in charge when I save her?"

" **If** you save her, little wish." Fear steps back, pulling himself away from the scene, "I'm not unreasonable."

Wonder turns to Yuki, the whispers sound louder now as they have her full attention, "Ok, watch and learn Mr. Scary Long Coat, the time of possibilities ends now." The feline wish jumps on the nearest shadow changing its color from black to white and then she hops to the next, each tap of her paw sounds like a strumming of a harp string.

"There, there and there, ohh nearly forgot you, there for you too ... done." The wish lands on the ground in front of Yuki, admiring her work as the shadow butterflies change into tiny looking stars.

But they are so still as if in shock and so is Yuki, "these are called aspirations, mini forms of a wish, but unlike your shadows they don't whisper,"  Wonder states with pride as her aspirations start moving rapidly around the human "they SING!"As if on cue the tiny stars start to produce some kind of music.

"Their songs speak of dreams and setting goals, songs of joy and happiness."

"And you think this human will sing along?"

"Of course..."  Yuki remains still, her tears stops, her eyes wide open and blown away. She looks like she has stopped breathing. It takes the smugness out of the feline's face, "listen to the song, young one. Life is full of beautiful surprises waiting for you." The wish urges softly, fully aware that the human can't see her but like a passing thought in the middle of a busy day, Yuki will be able to hear her.

Like flipping on a switch, Yuki's face gains color as her face contracts showing an emotion not happiness but sorrow. Tears stream down her face like a dam breaking; the human wails.

Wonder's eyes narrow in confusion, "what is she doing?"

"Singing along?"

"No, she looks..." Wonder watches the girl clutching on her head, screaming.

"Broken, and it's your songs doing." He says flatly.

"My songs? It can't be, they are of joy and happiness, they are... dreams."

"Indeed, and Yuki here is tired of not fulfilling them."

Wonder moves towards the broken human, putting her paw over her knee watching through her eyes the things she has been through.

To Yuki waking up every day was a battle, hoping that that day will be the day that some sort of a miracle would happen. It was a wish, a wish that she would be different, that she won't make the same mistakes again, that maybe she will be loved, and will find her way through and be that someone she dreams to be... Different.

Too many wishes and life was cruel, she can't take anymore disappointment.

It is unbearable to watch.

Wonder pulls her paw away as Yuki shifts putting her hand inside of her pocket, pulling out a small bottle of painkillers with shaky hands. While the tiny stars of aspiration sing their songs, Yuki attempts to open the bottle.

"No, no, stop young one, you are loved, your family needs you." The wish spoke in earnest putting her paw over the human's wet cheek, memories of a written note flashes before Wonder's eyes, how Yuki sold her few belongings and that her death will provide more than take.

Wonder steps back as if burned. She turns to Nines who silently watches. There is nothing for her to do anymore.

The sound of the medicine bottle cap being opened echoes, along with the human's shaky whimpers. Wonder watches the human trying to swallow what she could, one dry swallow after another till there are no more.

Nines comes to stand beside Wonder, and she dreads what he is going to say. She side-eyes him but he stays quiet.

"Can you save her?" Wonder asks.

"She has made her choice."

Wonder glances back to the human who weakly tapping the back her head on the tree trunk as if she is dealing with a headache, and she wants to numb it away.

Nines's hand reaches for a frantic looking aspiration, changing it back to one of his shadows before turning it to smoke making it disappear. He keeps doing so until nothing, neither black nor white, is left.

Yuki calms down and closes her eyes, resting her head. She wasn't dealing with a headache; she wanted the aspiration’s songs to stop, desperately so, and that acknowledgement in itself saddens the wish.

"This is my fault-," she says brokenly, her voice soft, wavering "- I should've trusted you, if only I wasn't so ... arrogant, then she wouldn't have to end this way."

"You did what you were created to do, the human, however went against their purpose, like they always do." He says, almost softly.

"How would they go against their purpose if they don't know what it is."

"Their purpose is to live."

"It's not so easy with all the darkness whispering needless possibilities in your head." She stated, remembering Yuki's memories.

Nines says nothing in reply, clasping his hands behind his back. For a moment she thought he might say something, but he remains silent.

"I wonder if a passer-by human will be able to save her from death..."

"That would be lovely, I don't want to run into my brother anytime soon,"  He ends flatly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A\N: Aokigahara is a real place located in Japan. Thank you for reading ^^


	4. Chapter 4

When his shadows informed him of an unusual presence at the home of his mission, Fear didn’t expect it to be-

"Footprints?!" The wish gasps a little too close to his ear, as she rises, alarmed, over his shoulder.

Fear's grey eyes narrows, taking the scene in. The mother who very recently started bearing his mission, is going about through her morning routine in the kitchen unaware of his presence, leaving in her wake a trail of black and blue flaming footprints that doesn't seem to fade.

"How is she doing that?" The wish seems fascinated by it.

"She’s not."

"Then who did?"

He crouches, eyeing the small bluish fumes before he extends his hand to investigate it further, it was cold, "Death..." he whispers to himself.

"Why?" The wish asks.

"A warning." 

"A warning? About what?" 

"Dead man walking,"

"What?"

"It's a human saying..." He pauses, his focus is on the mortal mother, who sits at the dining table with a cup of coffee in her hand, " when one of their condemned prisoners walks to their execution," 

"But she isn't a condemned prisoner," The wish stats confusingly, watching the human’s face for any indication. 

The mother looks calm, staring at the rain drops across the window.

"She seems fine," the wish muses.

"Not her..." Although all mortals are prisoners condemned to their death in a way, his mission isn't  the mother herself but her unborn offspring. 

"Nines are you certain? Maybe it's some kind of a sibling prank thingy, or maybe you are reading so much into this with your super calculative mind, I mean, how can you be sure of this, baby is not yet born—" the wish babbles.

It's the first time in 3 months since he had known her to finally grasp a sense of her fear. 

He is prepared for this moment in his mind, now as it unfold before him, he can't help but find it... unsettling.

Fear still feels the flow of sands in the hourglass. He reaches inside his pocket, if his brother went out all the way to warn him, then this is it.

"—and... I'm sorry, what is this?" The wish lookes skeptically at the coin Fear holds in his hand.

"This is a human currency, I believe it is called ...a coin" He mildly mocks her but she seems unaware as her fear fades into confusion, he resumes his explanation, "throughout the ages humans placed... Gifts with their deceased ones, in order to gain Death's blessing, unbeknownst to them that my brother has no power beyond. However for all the gifts that are bestowed upon him, the coin... Has been his favorite."

"Ooh, I get it now!  With this coin, we are going to bribe him!" She exclaims enthusiastically, and he gives her a side-glance.

"No... to summon him," He flicks the coin into the air with a tinge, the air stills, once it landed back onto his open palm everything around them stops.

"Hello, brother."

***

Death stands before them, hands clasped in-front of him almost as if to show politeness, or simply a pose he is used to perform, he looks like a perfect replica of Nines, or in this case Nines is the perfect replica of him, after all, Fear is but a result of Death. 

Death's face remains stoic, his eyes however is quick to spot the feline addition over his brother's shoulder. 

"You heeded my warning," Death says, eyes back on his brother as Nines put the coin back in his pocket.

"You weren't subtle about it."

"You were running out of time, brother"

"Were?" Wonder exclaimed.

Death's eyes were back on her again, his head tilted slightly as if trying to see her in a different angle. His eyes seems to gleam of something upon meeting hers, it is not unkind, but it should have made her feel uneasy, it does not.

Unlike Nines’s colorless eyes, Death's had a set of brown ones that gave him a softer edge, less intimidating than his brother's sharp ones, in fact Death seems more approachable, unlike what his name indicates.

Wonder wonders if her ease towards the  **grim reaper** is drawn from her bond with Nines, as he probably feels the same way.

"You said were, does it mean that the baby is now safe?" Wonder asks.

"No, I meant that time is no longer an issue as we speak" Death explains to her, she was confused, should she be thankful or panicking?

"Look," Fear pointed towards the human mother. The footprints still stands, the mother still looking through the window, and the rain is still...  perfectly still, it took Wonder few beats to see it.

"You stopped time." Wonder murmurs in awe and Death's posture changes slightly as his hand raises to fix his already perfect looking tie.

"A gift to help me in my purpose, Death is nothing but punctual," 

"Like Nines's shadows."

"Nines?" Death raises an elegant eyebrow at his brother, who looks as calm as ever.

"It's the name I gave him, it's fitting, right?" 

"Indeed." Death says, amused

"With the introduction out of the way, maybe you can now tell me what you are warning me about" 

"You already know, brother... this is not my first warning, the hourglass you carry is void of any name, I have been watching you bring out the hourglass to check every so often, and I'm curious, what does it make you feel..." 

No name hourglass means they will never be born to gain a name, Wonder watches Nines's emotionless face. She didn't notice that the fact that he stares at the hourglass means anything suspicious, she thought he was just entranced by the flow of the sand. Now that Death mentions it, Nines never let her touch the hourglass or stare at it for long enough to notice it has no name 

"Did you feel anxious then? What about now? Do you feel... Helpless? Is it bothering you?" Death asks, "talk to me brother, I can help you. We may never have the chance again," his brown eyes looks so deeply humane in their search within Nines's glassy orbs.

Nines keeps quiet, the slight tightening of his jaw is the only indication that he is, infact, not a statue.

Wonder interrupts, "this doesn't make sense, the baby has no emotions yet, if it dies, then it won't be out of fear and the mission will be over before it even begun,"

Death's brows slightly frown, a mild sadness washes over his features for a split second before he regains the same emotionless mask that seems to run in the family as he turns to Wonder.

"Now that would be a waste of time, even for me," the last thing Death says before he pulls himself to the side, pulling a coin out of no where and starts flipping it flawlessly between his hands. 

The ting of the coin was so loud in the quietness of the room, time was back, Wonder can now hear the rain drops again, like a fast paced clock ticking and it is disquieting.

_ "What are we going to do now?" _ Wonder speaks into Nines's mind, feeling the urge to keep her conversation private from Death.

Nines strides towards the woman,  _ "What we should have done all along," _ he says, crouching before the human,  _ "prove my brother wrong," _ Nines stares straight into the human's eyes as one of his shadows snakes up her body, slowly but securely rounding her.

***

The mortal's fears lay bare in front of him, all her nightmares, all her insecurities clashing and turning within her like the tides of a dark bottomless ocean whirling in a storm of her emotions. She appears exceptionally calm but he can see beyond.

She fears the future, she fears regret, she thinks she is not ready, the baby was not planned and her whole life is nothing but cautious steps towards progress, she is a thinker and this is a mistake she needs to undo.

Fear pulls back from the mortal, as he stands taller, his cold eyes downcast on the deep thinking woman.

_ "She will kill her offspring.." _ Fear states to the wish who was patiently quiet.

_ "Why would she do that?"  _ The wish asks in disbelief.

_ "Fear..."  _ He opens his palm creating a new shadow, letting it join the one which rounds the mortal, as it starts to squeeze her gently, coming up to her ears, it starts whispering to her in tongues.

_ "Are you... Doubling her fears?" _

_ "No, I'm adding a new one" _

_ "I'm sorry, but how can this help in anyway?" _

Fear glances at the wish, thinking seriously about not answering her, but she seemed scared rather than questioning his abilities, he decided against it,  _ "Nothing is better to counter fear but another fear,"  _ he turns his eyes back to the woman who takes a sip from her coffee unwillingly listening to the shadows over both her ears,  _ "soon, she will imagine what her life will be like if she remains childless, she fears it will be empty, she is growing older each day, better now than later." _

_ "Will it... be enough?" _ The wish murmurs in his head and in all truth, Fear doesn't know the answer, he doesn't reply.

The shadows squeeze the human harder, even if he was able to help her now, these shadows will engulf her in too much darkness and it will ruin her for another time.

"Why don't you let your new partner help?" Death's voice broke from behind, he plays his coin between his fingers expertly.

Fear looks at the wish weighting the idea in his mind.

"No, I tried before, it didn't go well," the wish says with a shrug.

"Yes, the human girl Yuki, I know, I was there," Death says, he continues flipping the coin but his eyes seems unfocused, "despite it's title, great doses of painkillers will make a human spasm in pain for hours before their time come, some even lasts days in torment," he stares at nothing for a moment pause before he looks at the wish, "too much is what killed Yuki."

Too much brightness, too much darkness, Fear understands the point his brother is so not subtly trying to make. He turns to the wish.

_ "Nines, are you sure, I may—"  _ The wish starts to murmur again. 

"If this is the end for you too, I would find in unfair if I don't let you try for yourself." Fear speaks to the wish, drawing an end to their private communication. 

The wish seems unsure for a moment, the coin Death flips tings louder, no doubt reminding her of the running time, she jumps over the human's lap, cautiously reaching her paw into the snaking shadow, emitting few dots of light that spread inside the shadows like veins. 

The whispers stop and the wish quickly pulls her paw out, jumping away from the human as the human rises, towards her phone, trailing more footprints.

Fear sees her fears fading as her mind is clearer now to take the decision, she searches for the doctor contact number, her finger swipes through contacts before it hovers over one contact and she pauses.

It is then that his shadow’s whispers resume, different in tone and within a perfect harmony with the wish's aspirations mild music. 

Fear stands next to the mother, curious to know what she saw that gives her a pause.

It was her mother's contact number. Years after she had passed and she still keeps her contact saved, as if one day, somehow she will call her and annoy her about her most embarrassing childhood stories.

She loved her mother, she imagines that if her mother was still alive she would have been over the moon about the baby, talking nonstop about her plans to be the perfect grandmother her grandchild  would want.

She loves her mother so much, the human wonders if her unborn baby would love her the same, and yet before it even tries to show her anything she would betray it's love by being selfish, her mother was never selfish with her.

The human wipes her tears away, putting the phone down, she laughs ironically about how everything have turned now.

"I warn you, I'm told I'm gonna be a very weird mother," the human speaks to her barely visible stomach as she descends to the floor laughing and wiping her tears.

The wish stands before her in awe, Fear looks around to see the footprints disappear into thin air.

"I had eight brothers before you, none of them has reached this point, none of them were given a test by Fate and none of them were able to understand the balance they served," Death speaks to Fear, standing beside him with a smile on his face, "I'm proud of you brother, I think it's time for you to check your hourglass, for today you have saved a life." 

Fear pulls the hourglass and sure enough he saw the name carved deep in the wooden base of the hourglass, it says  _ "Gavin Reed" _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y/N: When an impossible coin trick is done successfully, a handsome softie Death will appear. Its a well known fact heheheh. There will be no pairing in this story, I plan to blow up your mind as hard as I can with this story, I hope the name Gavin Reed made u shoooock. Also maintaining a present tense through out the whole thing turned out to be harder than I thought, please point out any grammatical mistake, my English is still improving.Thank you ^^

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this far. I’m a slow writer and English is not my first language. I rarely share my works but this is for a close friend of mine whom I wish to help and hopefully help others too. See you soon.


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